Not the usual pitch...

I have made it a habit of giving back for as long as I can remember. Every year my wife and I make contributions to all kinds of organizations -- from schools to foundations to community-based nonprofits. We don't always give a lot, but we always give. And this year, to put some very special icing on our giving cake, I helped found a new athletic organization in San Diego dedicated to serving people with developmental disabilities ages 5 through adult.

But, late one night I was wondering: What could I do that would really make a difference -- more than just writing a check, or contributing an hour or two here or there? The idea came to me in a flash: I could write a book for someone who had a great idea, but who was outside of the publishing industry and needed some help getting their foot in the door.

Now, as a professional writer, the usual pitch would be this: Send me your book ideas, and I'll cherry pick the ones I like, help you write a book, and take a nice share of the profits.

But this is not the usual pitch.

The more I thought about it, I realized that there was an even better idea -- an idea that would allow me to give back in a way that best taps my creativity and passion for writing: I want to help make the world a better place by writing one book a year -- for free -- with ALL the profits going to a nonprofit organization. An organization of YOUR choice.

To accomplish this goal, however, I need YOU.

My current plan is to read all the proposals I get between now and December 31, 2007. I'll whittle the submissions down to the best 10 or so ideas, then run them by a review board of three prominent figures in the world of business, social innovation, or philanthropy. The book they select will be my free book for 2008. I'm hoping we'll have a decision by February 2008. Each year, we'll go through the same process, judging book ideas and making a selection for the upcoming year. I have been blessed during the course of my writing career to meet some remarkable people who would be perfect for this important job. I'll be talking with them very soon, and I'll report my progress on this blog.

Remember: The book can be about any topic you like -- not just social sector issues or problems of interest to nonprofits. All financial proceeds will go to the nonprofit organization of your choice.

One more thing: I'm not just planning to help write this book (with your input and active participation, of course), I'm also planning to help get it published. To that end, I'm thinking of approaching some agent and editor friends in the industry to see if they might be interested in taking on the books we produce. We'll see how that plays out over the next few months.

I need you to put your thinking caps on -- the idea is to come up with a book that will have either (a) a BIG financial impact on the nonprofit that you decide to support with the advance and royalties from the book, or (b) a BIG impact on the world in general through the power of its ideas, or (c) both.

As with anything in life, there are a few constraints: (1) The book needs to be nonfiction. I have tried my hand at fiction, and frankly I stink at it. (2) I'm thinking the finished book will be 175 - 200 pages or so -- we're not writing War and Peace. (3) Please keep your submissions down to no more than 300 words, and send them to me via email at: bizzwriter@gmail.com. If you've got more than one idea, then please send them separately. (4) We'll be co-authors of the book and both our names will be on the cover but, since the idea is yours, your name will go first. And, (5) because the whole point of this is to give back, to be considered for my yearly free book, you will need to agree -- as I will -- that every single dollar generated from the sales of the book will go to a bona fide 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of your choice. It doesn't matter to me if you are liberal or conservative, deeply religious or agnostic, vegan or committed carnivore. I don't care if you live in a red state, or a blue state, or what cause you decide to support.

That's your choice.

But there is also a promise: I promise to write one book each year -- for free -- until I can no longer write. I'm 51 years old right now, so I think I've got at least 30 free books in me. Maybe more.

So...this is where it all begins.

Ready? Set. Go!